Rico Henry

Rico Antonio Henry (born 8 July 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Brentford. Born in England, he plays for the Jamaica national team.

Henry is a product of the Walsall academy and began his senior career with the club. He transferred to Brentford in 2016 and passed 200 appearances for the club in August 2023. Born in England and of Jamaican descent, he represented England at youth international level, before making his senior debut for the Jamaica national team in 2025.

Club career Walsall After a spell with Cadbury Athletic and failing a trial with Aston Villa, Henry joined Walsall at age 11 and at age 14 he was converted from a central midfielder to a left back. He progressed through the youth ranks to make his first non-competitive senior appearance for the club shortly after his 16th birthday, in a pre-season friendly versus Leeds United in July 2013. One year later, he signed his first professional contract after impressing for the club's youth team. Henry received his maiden calls into the first team squad for two League One matches in September and October 2014 respectively, before making his competitive debut with a start in a Football League Trophy northern area semi-final shootout win over Tranmere Rovers on 9 December. He signed a two-year contract extension in April 2015 and was named as Walsall's Young Player of the Year.

Henry broke into the starting line-up on a full-time basis during the 2015–16 season. Walsall consistently challenged for promotion during the season and finished in third position to qualify for a place in the 2016 League One play-offs, but Henry's season ended with a 6–1 aggregate defeat to the eventually-promoted club Barnsley in the semi-finals. in addition to being named in the League One PFA Team of the Year and receiving a nomination for the Football League Young Player of the Year award.

Henry made three early-2016–17 season appearances, He made 57 appearances and scored three goals for the club.

Brentford

On 31 August 2016, Henry signed for Championship club Brentford for an initial fee of £1.5m on a five-year contract, rising to £5 million. with a start in a 2–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Henry returned fit for the start of the 2017–18 season, Henry returned to full-contact training in October 2018 and on 24 November, he made his first appearance for nearly 14 months, coincidentally against Middlesbrough, with a late substitute appearance in a 2–1 defeat. A foot injury suffered in February saw Henry miss two months of the season and he finished an injury-affected campaign with 16 appearances and one goal.

Henry began the 2019–20 season fully fit and signed a new four-year contract in August 2019. He made a career-high 51 appearances during the season, which culminated in defeat in the 2020 Championship play-off final. In recognition of his performances during the 2020–21 season, Henry was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

Henry began the 2021–22 Premier League season as an ever-present at left wing back and he scored in successive league matches in November 2021, He improved his appearance tally to 39 appearances in all competitions during the 2022–23 season. in a 1–0 defeat to Newcastle United on 16 September 2023. but a "minor setback" the following month put his return to full training back to 4 October 2024. Following involvement in unpublicised behind closed doors matches, Henry returned to competitive match play with a start in a 1–0 FA Cup third round defeat to Plymouth Argyle on 11 January 2025. After one further appearance, After recovering, he made four appearances during the remainder of the 2024–25 season, all as a substitute.

Henry entered the 2025–26 season fully fit and made 30 appearances, predominantly as a starter, prior to suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in March 2026. The one-year option on Henry's contract was triggered by the club at the end of the season. He returned to match play during the 2026–27 pre-season.

International career Born in England, Henry is of Jamaican descent. While an U12, he was a member of the England team that competed at the 2008 Danone Nations Cup. He won four caps at U19 level. Henry was named in England's U20 squad for the 2017 Four Nations Tournament and appeared in all three matches as the Young Lions won the competition. Henry was named in the England squad for the 2017 U20 World Cup, but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Henry switched his allegiance to Jamaica in 2025. In November of that year, Henry was named in the Jamaica squad for two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago and Curaçao. He made his debut on 13 November 2025 in a 1–1 draw with Trinidad and Tobago, just two days after receiving his Jamaican passport.

Style of play Henry has been described as "a forward-thinking, modern-day full-back, with energy, pace and a keen defensive awareness".

Personal life Henry was born in Birmingham, West Midlands and watched both Aston Villa and Birmingham City as a youth. He attended St George's Church of England Primary School and Lordswood Boys' School in Birmingham. League One

2015–16 League One

2016–17 League One

2016–17 Championship

2018–19 Championship

2019–20 Championship

2020–21 Championship

2021–22 Premier League

2022–23 Premier League

2023–24 Premier League

2024–25 Premier League

2025–26 Premier League

2026–27 Premier League

International

Honours England U20 Four Nations Tournament: 2017

Individual PFA Championship Team of the Year: 2020–21 PFA League One Team of the Year: 2015–16 Football League Young Player of the Month: September 2015 Walsall Young Player of the Year: 2014–15